The field of invention is building construction, and more specifically exterior optical assemblies for directing light into buildings.
It has long been recognized that various optical components placed on the exterior of buildings can capture external light and transmit it to the interior of a building through glazing structures. Such structures have been incorporated on rooftops to increase the efficiency of skylights, as well as over external side wall glazing to capture exterior sunlight.
Such structures have typically been various types of mirrors that merely re-directly the light into the interior.
There has always been a tradeoff between the quantities of light captured to minimize the undesirable effects of excess light, such as direct glare to occupants, as well as the undesirable excess heat during the warmer seasons of the year.
It would be advantageous to provide a means to capture external light and re-direct it in a manner that avoids glare or other forms of excess brightness, as well as solar heating effects that is also dynamically responsive to the changing solar elevation angle throughout the day.
The above and other objects, effects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following description of the embodiments thereof taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.